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RENZI GETS THE VOGUE TREATMENT: Photo shoots and interview spreads in glossy magazines have worked so well in recent times for European politicians … just ask Yanis Varoufakis and Emmanuel Macron. Next up is Matteo Renzi, casting himself as a kind of Italian Joan of Arc under Annie Leibovitz’s soft lighting. http://bit.ly/2cD8IPK

NEELIE KROES NAMED IN BAHAMAS TAX EVASION LEAKS: Wednesday afternoon went from great to terrible for former European Commissioner Neelie Kroes. Just hours after the European Commission validated her commitment to restriction-free mobile roaming in Europe, a consortium of newspapers revealed that during her tenure with the EU’s executive, she was a director of an energy company funded by the United Arab Emirates, based in the Bahamas (a notorious tax haven) and looking to do deals with Enron.

The details of 175,000 companies registered in the Bahamas were published in the leak. There is no suggestion Kroes took an active role in the company beyond her name being listed as a director, and her lawyer blamed an administrative error. Kroes herself said she will “take full responsibility” for the situation. Coming on the heels of the backlash around José Manuel Barroso’s new role at Goldman Sachs, the leak could not come at a worse time for the Commission and Kroes. POLITICO | International Consortium of Investigative Journalists | Trouw | Guardian | Suddeutsche Zeitung

Kroes’ unanswered questions: Even if Kroes can prove she took action to cut her Bahamas ties (which was a condition set by the European Parliament before approving her appointment as commissioner), she is not off the hook. It is alleged her directorship of the company in question ended only in October 2009. If those claims are true, then the Commission should have at least been notified of the issue in the seven years since.

Parliament jumps on the Bahamas bandwagon: Jeppe Kofod, a Danish Social Democrat MEP and co-rapporteur for the Panama Papers committee, has called for Bahamian authorities to appear before the committee. Kofod told Playbook he will be looking for repeat offenders from both LuxLeaks and the Panama Papers. “We know that a number of banks, accountancy firms and private companies have been quite active in the field of highly imaginative tax planning. Their names simply keep popping up, and we have to hold them accountable,” Kofod said.

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WELCOME TO EUGOSLAVIA: Matthew Karnitschnig takes you on a tour of the EU’s rapidly multiplying constellations of regional and ideological alliances. “The European Union could always be neatly divided into regional blocs that, for the most part, pursued a common agenda, whether the northern group around Germany or the southern ‘Club Med’ countries led by France. … Now, Brexit is accelerating the trend as countries seek allies ahead of the coming debates over the EU’s future.” http://politi.co/2cMbVC6

BREXIT — MR SCHULZ GOES TO LONDON: European Parliament President Martin Schulz is in London today to meet with PM Theresa May, opposition chief Jeremy Corbyn, and the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, and he sounded optimistic in the lead-up. “The future deal between the EU and the U.K. must be good for all sides,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Schulz hasn’t always been so conciliatory. In a joint interview with Jean-Claude Juncker in June, Schulz said: “Primary responsibility for Brexit lies with British Conservatives, who took an entire continent hostage.” Schulz has also said “a delay [in activating Article 50 exit talks] that only serves the tactical interests of the British Conservatives is damaging to everyone,” and that “the single market … entails four freedoms and not three, or three-and-a-half.” There’s also an element of institutional pride in Schulz’s tour: He has previously warned that MEPs’ Brexit views should be taken seriously, otherwise the Parliament could veto any proposed deal, “and the U.K. would be forced into a World Trade Organization-style relationship.” http://bit.ly/2cZuFfx

GREECE — TSIPRAS SAYS THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT: Alexis Tsipras, the Greek PM, told Reuters he thinks his country is on the brink of a comeback after a seven-year economic crisis. He said he believed Greece could grow by 0.2 to 0.4 percent this year, outpacing Eurostat’s predicted 0.3 percent contraction. Arshad Mohammed and Lesley Wroughton report Tsipras “also said he hoped Greece could within the next six months be included in the European Central Bank’s quantitative easing (QE) program from which it has so far been excluded because of its low credit rating. If that happens, it could then test markets’ appetite for Greek debt next year. ‘I think that will be a strong message we will be ready to prepare the procedure to issue bonds,’ he said.” http://reut.rs/2diCJ8X

UKRAINE — WEST UNHAPPY WITH REFORM PROGRESS: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that Ukraine needed to make progress on economic and political reforms or the EU could backtrack on its Russia sanctions, imposed in the wake of Russia annexing Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014. “We know that if they give an excuse to the EU, there are at least five countries right now that want to say ‘We want out,'” Biden said to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, according to Reuters. http://reut.rs/2cSlwER

What happened Wednesday: The Commission proposed abolishing time restrictions on fee-free roaming, but replaced them with a residency test, and the possibility for telecom companies to apply extra charges to users who abuse their new rights. The plan, announced during a cringe-worthy press conference, provoked less outrage than the previous proposal of 90 days of fee-free roaming a year. That may be because you need a math degree to understand it.

This proposal emerged so quickly after the previous one was pulled because it was one of several ideas the Commission cooked up but left warming in the oven in August. Joanna Plucinska and Harry Cooper: http://politi.co/2cnccFa

More Pandora’s boxes: POLITICO has fielded some questions and complaints about the new policy. Some common themes: What are the privacy implications of tracking differences between where a sim card is bought and used year-round? What qualifies as residency, given EU officials, for example, are technically not residents in Belgium?

The battle’s not over yet: It’s a new can, but it’s being kicked down the same road. Commission Vice President Andrus Ansip, the man responsible for the policy, said: “Where we will end, I don’t know. Maybe we have to set some kind of volume-based safeguards.” That may well undermine his own new policy, but then again, given the dozens of institutions and governments that now need to agree to the proposal, he is probably right. And the second battle, over wholesale roaming price caps, is now starting.

What a difference a week makes: If a week is a long time in politics, two weeks is an eternity in roaming policy. Here’s how the Commission’s views changed in recent days.

September 5: 90-day proposal launched without fanfare as a technical measure.September 7: “Let me be very clear, we have put an end to roaming,” said Commission Spokesperson Margaritis Schinas.September 8: “This proposal was not adequate … we need to aim higher and come up with something better,” said Commission Spokesperson Alexander Winterstein, after the policy was quietly withdrawn.September 21: “It was just one attempt … It was just a draft… It was one idea,” said Vice President Ansip.

HOW THE ROAMING REBOOT PLAYED …

“It is very good news … There should not be penalties for all consumers just because some hypothetically could misuse the system.” Monique Goyens, BEUC.

“The Commission has just invented a way for a press conference to make less clear the legislative text that it was supposed to explain.” Hughes Beaudoin, LCI TV France.

“Frankly speaking it seems to me a big mess.” Paola Calestani, former comms chief of BEREC, the body of European national telecoms regulators. Ars Technica’s Jennifer Baker hit the same chord: “Roamnishambles.”

The EPP, Socialists and Liberals in the European Parliament backed the change.

The next battlefront — wholesale roaming price caps: Andrus Ansip on Wednesday acknowledged governments can’t agree on the level of the caps, especially for data. The south wants them high because they “have to make significant investments to provide services for tourists,” while “in Nordic countries, the number of gigabytes is unlimited in many packages,” meaning they want the cap as low as possible. If eventually the cap is set too high, the northern telcos will continue to have to buy large amounts of expensive data for their roaming customers who holiday in the south, while being banned from charging them for it.

COUNCIL — COMPETITIVENESS COUNCIL AGENDA OUT: Ministers will discuss the collaborative economy, the steel crisis and access to finance September 29. http://bit.ly/2cZCm5r

ECJ — NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF THE GENERAL COURT: It’s Marc van der Woude, who is described by groovy antitrust blog Chillin’Competition as the “‘total’ competition lawyer.” http://bit.ly/2cZtD2W

ICYMI — The ECJ ruled it’s possible for individuals to sue the austerity-loving Troika (the Eurogroup, ECB and Commission) for damages. http://bit.ly/2cD7rID

TRADE — GERMAN PARLIAMENT TO VOTE ON CETA: As trade ministers meet in Bratislava, with most of them trying to save CETA, lawmakers in the German Bundestag will vote on the provisional application of the EU-Canada trade deal, according to the body’s agenda. Following a request by the trade-skeptic Green and Left parties, the vote will be held by roll-call. For Trade Pros: http://politi.co/2cTMucj

TRADE — NEW COMPLAINT AGAINST CHINESE DUMPING IN SOLAR INDUSTRY: European solar energy manufacturers say 500 jobs have been lost in Germany in the last week alone, as state-backed Chinese companies dump excess production on the EU market. “The EU urgently needs to enforce its anti-dumping and circumvention rules. Their [Chinese companies’] aim is simply to increase sales in Europe by all means and to push manufacturers that are not equally protected by the state out of the market,” said Milan Nitzschke, president of EU Prosun. “Chinese production capacities are more than 30 percent greater than total global demand for solar PV products.” The EU took anti-dumping action against three Chinese solar companies in August. http://reut.rs/2dc7Re1

DIESELGATE — €8 BILLION EUROPEAN LAWSUIT FOR VW: Investors are suing Volkswagen for damages totalling €8.2 billion over the Dieselgate emissions scandal, a German court said Wednesday. http://on.thestar.com/2d5pYlB

UNITED NATIONS — HOW NOT TO SELECT THE WORLD’S NEXT LEADER: Ben Oreskes and Playbook look at the bizarre and non-transparent election process to select the next leader of the United Nations. It was all supposed to be different this time — out in the open, perhaps with a woman at the top. In the end, it’s going to come down to a horse-trade between the United States and Russia behind closed doors. Portugal’s Antonio Guterres is holding tight onto his lead in the race. http://politi.co/2divi1c

US 2016 — HILLARY’S PIVOT TO EUROPE: If the former secretary of state wins the election, expect change, report Joe Schatz and Ben Oreskes. “Obama’s detached nature, combined with controversies over the U.S. spying on its allies, left many Europeans disappointed. But since then, much has changed, as a spate of terrorist attacks, a worrying refugee crisis and the decision by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union upended the status quo. … The question, experts say, is whether Clinton would see the EU as an ally, or as a problem to be managed.” http://politi.co/2cv7k4h

BRUSSELS CORNER …

BRITISH EUROCRATS STRUGGLE TO AVOID BREXTINCTION: “As Britain’s imminent departure from the European Union threatens to upend their careers and livelihoods, British Eurocrats have turned to the highest-ranking U.K. officials in the EU to save their jobs,” reports Tara Palmeri. http://politi.co/2d1br93

IT’S CAREER MUSICAL CHAIRS SEASON AGAIN … Coming up to the Juncker Commission’s two-year mark, staffers are starting to shift into new jobs or put themselves back on the diplomatic, technocratic and lobbyist Brussels labor market. At least one commissioner is pondering their future, and top aides such as Taneli Lahti (who quit as Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis’ chief of staff) now feel safe to leave over differences of opinion over the Commission’s direction.

There have been hints of a Brexit-related exodus, including from the resignations of Commissioner Jonathan Hill and MEP Richard Howitt, alongside subtle pushback that is making Brits in the EU institutions feel unwelcome. Advisory firms such as Global Counsel are looking at expanding into Brussels to provide Brexit advice, putting veterans like Paul Adamson (four years and ticking at Covington and Burling) and Robert Madelin (just retired from the Commission) in high demand.

The Apple tax decision has left tech companies scrambling to re-organize and in many cases expand their lobbying support; and talk of an EU army means dozens of new posts at the European Defense Agency suddenly look more interesting. In summary: Expect to get a lot of job update messages from LinkedIn through Christmas.

DON’T WORRY, BE MAPPY: Handicap International and Médecins Sans Frontières are organizing a “mapathon” in Ixelles tonight as part of the HOT Summit, a conference for people involved in the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap team. Register here and bring your laptop: http://bit.ly/2d0TNT7

COURT CASE LAUNCHED AGAINST BRUSSELS REGION FOR AIR QUALITY BREACHES: The activist group ClientEarth has launched a legal challenge to enforce the EU air quality directive in the face of what it says are high pollution levels in Brussels caused by nitrogen dioxide from diesel vehicles. ClientEarth lawyer Alan Andrews said in a statement: “Governments across Europe are failing in their legal duty to protect people from the harmful effects of air pollution. We are calling on the courts to force them to put that right.” http://bit.ly/2dgdwMl

DIED: Former Lithuanian MEP Leonidas Donskis has died from a heart attack in Vilnius airport, aged 54. Donskis was a professor, philosopher, human rights defender and social commentator who caucused with the Liberal ALDE group at the Parliament. http://bit.ly/2cYLVBD

ALIVE: Jacques Chirac. A former French minister tweeted, without details, that the former French president had died Wednesday. Chirac’s family vehemently denied the claim and demanded privacy: http://bit.ly/2cInTth.

IN HOSPITAL: Bernadette Chirac, Jacques’ wife, has been hospitalized due to exhaustion. http://bit.ly/2d2Uzx5

APPOINTED:Thibault Boutherin is the new policy and communications manager for the European Turbines Network.

BIRTHDAYS: Intel’s Sophie Jacobs is set for a big celebration today, h/t Gregg Svingen. Maggie Dougherty, senior congressional adviser at the British embassy; Patricia Summers Edwards of the British Consulate in NYC; the International Red Cross’ Chadi Sidhom; Matthew Sabourin from the U.K.’s supermarkets regulator; M&G Investments’ Alexandra Ranson.

PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT Harry Cooper and Zoya Sheftalovich.

THANKS to Hortense Goulard and Quentin Aries.

**A message from Aviva: #Moneytalks. Today about $300tn is invested across the world’s Capital Markets. Imagine what we could achieve if this was mobilised to deliver a sustainable economy for future generations. Momentum is increasing towards sustainable finance — and last week we were thrilled when the Commission said it will set up an expert group to develop a sustainable finance strategy. Now is the time for the EU to develop this concept through policy and market actions. As a pan-European insurer and investor, we believe it’s all about taking decisions that still stack up in the long term — in 5 or 10 or 20 years time. That’s why we’ve created #Moneytalks — a sustainable finance policy toolkit. It sets out ideas for policymakers and practitioners on how to create the change we need to catalyse and scale a sustainable financial sector — from sustainable stock exchanges to sustainability league tables for companies.**